THE INSIDER AUTHORITY ON GATOR SPORTS

Spivey Senses: edition 8

A four-game losing streak is bad news but now with all of the uncertainty surrounding the Florida coaching staff recruits have started to speak out. Not everything that is being said is bad news as many prospects see injuries and a lack of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball as the true reason the Gators on their heels and reeling at 4-5.

Evidence the news is not all bad came Friday when the Gators picked up a new commitment at the tight position.

In this recruiting insider, I will talk about the effects of the down season and also what’s next at the tight end position moving forward as well as all of the news surrounding Gator prospects.

Rumors continue to swirl around Dalvin Cook with regards to interest in Florida State. The key thing in his recruitment is that he’s an early enrollee and only has a few more open weekends to take visits so it’s unlikely right now that he will visit Tallahassee again. Cook is scheduled to visit Florida for the Florida State game and also may return for the banquet weekend. Right now I’m told that if Will Muschamp and Travaris Robinson stay at Florida then Cook will strongly consider staying with Florida but there is no guarantee he signs with the Gators. One source told me that Cook has told the Florida State enough to make them believe he will be a Nole.

Travis Rudolph (6-0, 189, West Palm Beach, FL Cardinal Newman) is a name everyone knows and Florida is fading fast for him right now but several Gator commits are continuing to talk to Rudolph, trying to convince him to visit again. Quincy Wilson and Will Grier have both told me that they talk to Rudolph on a weekly basis but both have said that right now they feel like Rudolph is headed to Florida State.

Ryan Sousa (6-0, 180, Orlando, FL Lake Nona) just picked up a Florida offer last week and on Friday he received a visit from Joker Phillips at his game. Sousa also told GC that he now plans to take an official visit to Florida for the FSU game. Right now I lean towards Sousa being a Gator if the coaches truly want him.

Receiver Eric Lauderdale (6-1, 195, Mission Viejo, CA Saddleback C.C) told GC that he plans to visit Florida but it will not be for the FSU game as Lauderdale wants to spend time with his family during the Thanksgiving Holidays. Lauderdale said a visit to Gainesville will likely occur during December and from talking to him it would seem things are going great for Florida. One thing that could mess up Lauderdale’s recruitment is if Joker Phillips were to leave Florida.

Deandre Goolsby pulled the trigger and committed to Florida on Friday much to the surprise of some people. If you’re a member of GC, then you knew this was coming. Goolsby had informed former Florida recruiting coordinator Jon Haskins of his decision weeks ago. Goolsby loves the state of Florida and that was a big key to his commitment.

Goolsby credited Jon Haskins as a major reason as to why he committed to Florida and the Goolsby family also expressed their gratitude towards to Haskins during the recruiting process.

Moral Stephens (6-3, 205, Perry, FL Taylor County) thought he had picked up an offer from Florida two weeks ago but that was not the case. He was informed on Saturday that he in fact did not have an offer. At one point when Florida thought it might not get Goolsby, there was indeed interest in Stephens, but once Goolsby committed the Gators pulled away from Stephens.

People close to Stephens tell GC that his family is upset because there were several members of the Stephens family at the Gators game on Saturday as Stephens was prepared to commit to Florida.

One thing to keep an eye on moving forward is on C’yontai Lewis academics as there is some buzz in the air that he may not be up to academic standards right now. We hear that tight end coach Derek Lewis mentioned that to Moral Stephens on Saturday. Some of that chatter from Lewis was to just keep Stephens warm with Florida in case something goes wrong. There is some logic to that because Lewis has always had some academic concerns.

After talking to a few more sources regarding offensive lineman David Sharpe (6-8, 275, Jacksonville, FL Providence School) I feel like Florida is in great shape and that Sharpe is just exploring other schools. One source told me that Florida State isn’t as interested in Sharpe as some have said.

One name that Florida fans may have forgotten about is defensive tackle Thomas Holley (Brooklyn, NY Abraham Lincoln) but Holley is now trying to take an official to Florida for the FSU game. Ohio State no longer has room for Holley which puts the Gators in a fight against Penn State, which is believed to be the leader in the clubhouse right now.

I’ve talked to a few people regarding safety Jamal Adams (6-0, 199, Lewisville, TX Hebron) and they have told me that things are close for him between Florida and Texas. One source told me he was a slam dunk to Florida a few months ago because of the stability of the staff compared to Texas’ staff but now that there is uncertainty with the Gators staff, things have tightened up considerably. Adams will take an official to Texas this weekend most likely and a decision could come within the next month.

Cornerback JC Jackson visited Miami again this weekend with his father and they enjoyed the trip. While Jackson is looking around one thing that is keeping him at Florida is his relationship with Duke Dawson. One sources told GC that the will go to the same school at the end of the day and we all know Dawson is solid to Florida.

FIVE Most Likely as of November 11th:

Eric Lauderdale

David Sharpe

Ryan Sousa

Jamal Adams

Adoree’ Jackson

About Andrew Spivey

Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.

A four-game losing streak is bad news but now with all of the uncertainty surrounding the Florida coaching staff recruits have started to speak out. Not everything that is being said is bad news as many prospects see injuries and a lack of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball as the true reason the Gators on their heels and reeling at 4-5.

Evidence the news is not all bad came Friday when the Gators picked up a new commitment at the tight position.

In this recruiting insider, I will talk about the effects of the down season and also what’s next at the tight end position moving forward as well as all of the news surrounding Gator prospects.

Rumors continue to swirl around Dalvin Cook with regards to interest in Florida State. The key thing in his recruitment is that he’s an early enrollee and only has a few more open weekends to take visits so it’s unlikely right now that he will visit Tallahassee again. Cook is scheduled to visit Florida for the Florida State game and also may return for the banquet weekend. Right now I’m told that if Will Muschamp and Travaris Robinson stay at Florida then Cook will strongly consider staying with Florida but there is no guarantee he signs with the Gators. One source told me that Cook has told the Florida State enough to make them believe he will be a Nole.

Travis Rudolph (6-0, 189, West Palm Beach, FL Cardinal Newman) is a name everyone knows and Florida is fading fast for him right now but several Gator commits are continuing to talk to Rudolph, trying to convince him to visit again. Quincy Wilson and Will Grier have both told me that they talk to Rudolph on a weekly basis but both have said that right now they feel like Rudolph is headed to Florida State.

Ryan Sousa (6-0, 180, Orlando, FL Lake Nona) just picked up a Florida offer last week and on Friday he received a visit from Joker Phillips at his game. Sousa also told GC that he now plans to take an official visit to Florida for the FSU game. Right now I lean towards Sousa being a Gator if the coaches truly want him.

Receiver Eric Lauderdale (6-1, 195, Mission Viejo, CA Saddleback C.C) told GC that he plans to visit Florida but it will not be for the FSU game as Lauderdale wants to spend time with his family during the Thanksgiving Holidays. Lauderdale said a visit to Gainesville will likely occur during December and from talking to him it would seem things are going great for Florida. One thing that could mess up Lauderdale’s recruitment is if Joker Phillips were to leave Florida.

Deandre Goolsby pulled the trigger and committed to Florida on Friday much to the surprise of some people. If you’re a member of GC, then you knew this was coming. Goolsby had informed former Florida recruiting coordinator Jon Haskins of his decision weeks ago. Goolsby loves the state of Florida and that was a big key to his commitment.

Goolsby credited Jon Haskins as a major reason as to why he committed to Florida and the Goolsby family also expressed their gratitude towards to Haskins during the recruiting process.

Moral Stephens (6-3, 205, Perry, FL Taylor County) thought he had picked up an offer from Florida two weeks ago but that was not the case. He was informed on Saturday that he in fact did not have an offer. At one point when Florida thought it might not get Goolsby, there was indeed interest in Stephens, but once Goolsby committed the Gators pulled away from Stephens.

People close to Stephens tell GC that his family is upset because there were several members of the Stephens family at the Gators game on Saturday as Stephens was prepared to commit to Florida.

One thing to keep an eye on moving forward is on C’yontai Lewis academics as there is some buzz in the air that he may not be up to academic standards right now. We hear that tight end coach Derek Lewis mentioned that to Moral Stephens on Saturday. Some of that chatter from Lewis was to just keep Stephens warm with Florida in case something goes wrong. There is some logic to that because Lewis has always had some academic concerns.

After talking to a few more sources regarding offensive lineman David Sharpe (6-8, 275, Jacksonville, FL Providence School) I feel like Florida is in great shape and that Sharpe is just exploring other schools. One source told me that Florida State isn’t as interested in Sharpe as some have said.

One name that Florida fans may have forgotten about is defensive tackle Thomas Holley (Brooklyn, NY Abraham Lincoln) but Holley is now trying to take an official to Florida for the FSU game. Ohio State no longer has room for Holley which puts the Gators in a fight against Penn State, which is believed to be the leader in the clubhouse right now.

I’ve talked to a few people regarding safety Jamal Adams (6-0, 199, Lewisville, TX Hebron) and they have told me that things are close for him between Florida and Texas. One source told me he was a slam dunk to Florida a few months ago because of the stability of the staff compared to Texas’ staff but now that there is uncertainty with the Gators staff, things have tightened up considerably. Adams will take an official to Texas this weekend most likely and a decision could come within the next month.

Cornerback JC Jackson visited Miami again this weekend with his father and they enjoyed the trip. While Jackson is looking around one thing that is keeping him at Florida is his relationship with Duke Dawson. One sources told GC that the will go to the same school at the end of the day and we all know Dawson is solid to Florida.

FIVE Most Likely as of November 11th:

Eric Lauderdale

David Sharpe

Ryan Sousa

Jamal Adams

Adoree’ Jackson

Andrew Spiveyandrewspiveyandrew.spivey1987@yahoo.comAuthorAndrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.GatorCountry.com